The Awakening
by Laurnadoon
Summary: Both suffering from nightmares in which they are tortured by images of their horrific past experiences, Link and Zelda find comfort in each other. Skyward Sword.


_Thin lines laced their way through the amber crystal that encased his best friend through her thousand-year slumber. Each crack made his muscles jolt in anticipation. All of his work, his entire journey, it all added up to this moment, when Zelda would finally open her sapphire eyes and they would emit a dazzling sparkle of life before falling upon him, her chosen hero, her savior, her best friend. Link was enchanted by her peaceful expression. She looked like an angel surrounded by the golden halo of the crystal. _

_Suddenly the crystal shattered around her, but Link was not alarmed as he kept his eyes steadily on her still closed lids. She gracefully reached the ground with a quiet thud, her golden hair fluttering around her like a veil of goddess butterflies. Link watched all of her movements as time seemed to slow and she walked toward him, tenderly placing one foot in front of the other. She squeezed her eyes closed and Link smiled, thinking that he was going to see that brilliant light that was reserved only for him once again. This is the moment he had fought so hard for…_

_However, Zelda stumbled and her weak legs gave way underneath her. Link was there before she could even catch her breath. Startled by his touch, she finally opened her eyes. Immediately she was immersed by his presence as they locked gazes. _

"_Zelda…" Link murmured, caressing her frail body against his. He buried his face in her hair as he embraced her. As he stroked her back with his strong hands she melted into him, completely absorbed in the feeling of being pressed against him. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I have missed you."_

"_At least you didn't have to wait in a crystal for a thousand years…" she chuckled quietly, her heart and mind finally at ease. He laughed with her heartily as he brought her to her feet. After making sure she would not fall again, Link held onto her hand for support and began to guide her out into the temple. Once she grew accustomed to using her limbs once more, she glided along like the goddess that she once was. To put it lightly, she was absolutely stunning. Link could not take his eyes off of her. _

_He watched her as she released his hand to greet their friends, who had also anxiously awaited her return. He watched her as she glanced at him through Groose's bone crushing embrace. He watched her as she turned toward him and took a determined step, then another, and another._

_He reacted without even thinking, just acting on his purest desire to have her safe, to see her once more. He reached his hand out to her, and she closed the last of the gap between them with a few quick steps and lifted her delicate, milky white hand to place on top of his. All he could feel was a feather light touch, like a breeze caressing his skin._

_Then he watched her as she suddenly flew backward from his grasp until he hit the stone floor with a deafening crack. Link squinted through his eyelids, his thick eyelashes making latticework patterns, obscuring his vision through his pain lidded eyelids. He wrenched his eyes open further to behold Ghirahim and Zelda hanging upon his shoulder, limp like a doll._

"_Link…" The whisper emitted itself from her blood stained lips. Ghirahim began one of his pompous speeches with a sneer, but Link only had ears for that whisper, his name, that escaped from her lips. _

"_Zelda…no…" He mumbled as he rose, his head throbbing with every beat of his frantic heart. _

"Zelda!" Link gasped as he jumped to his feet before tripping over his tangled sheets and smacking his forehead on the corner of his desk.

Moaning, he propped himself up on his elbows, trying to take stock of his surroundings. It had been over a week since they had returned from the surface, yet whenever Link closed his eyes he always had horrific visions of his past.

His breath hitched again as he realized how real this dream had felt. Rubbing his fingers together, he could still feel the silk of Zelda's gown as he caressed her back. With a resolute decision shining in his eyes, he rose from the ground and walked with purposeful steps toward the door, then up the stairs, and finally to _her_ room.

Hesitating at the door, he ran his hands roughly through his tangled sandy locks and let out a heavy sigh. He had repeated this process nightly, but had never had the courage or the heart to wake Zelda in the middle of the night for his own comfort.

He turned his back to the door and leaned against it with a dull thud before sliding slowly down to encircle his knees within his arms. He loved her too much to interrupt her peaceful slumber, after all it had been ages since she was able to sleep peacefully, without the worrisome thoughts of being captured or killed. He sighed again and rose to his feet, placing his hand against her door before beginning his trek back downstairs.

"Link…" The muffled whisper came through her door, echoing softly through the halls. The young man stopped suddenly, ears perked to listen intently. However, the next time he heard his name it was much more than just a whisper. Zelda called to him over and over again in her dreams, a distressed tone lacing her usual sweet voice.

Without a second thought, Link pushed the door open roughly to see Zelda tossing and mumbling in her sleep, her brow creased with signs of worry. Link crossed the room in a few quick strides and plopped down on the side of her bed, intending to wake her gently as to not cause her more distress.

However, as soon as he touched her, her crystal eyes flew open, glossed over with unshed tears and wide with unspeakable fear. Her voice hitched in her throat in an attempt to say his name before she threw her arms around him in a desperate embrace and began sobbing into his shoulder with soft cries.

"Zelda…" Link breathed, still shocked from her sudden movements.

Before he could say another word, Zelda cradled his face in both of her hands and looked directly at him, her eyes reflecting the memories of her dream. "Don't ever leave me," she said with a steady voice.

Link just stared at her before shaking his head and whispering a firm reply.

"Never," he said as he wrapped his arms around her shaking form.

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence as he cradled her in his arms and she buried her face into his chest. Eventually, Zelda's curiosity got the best of her.

"How did you know?" She whimpered, turning to face him once again. "How did you know I needed you?"

Zelda felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. "When have you ever not needed me? You know I will always come running whenever you call…wherever you are." He stated simply, smiling and pulling her close to him once again. Zelda's cheeks grew warm as she realized the truth to his words and took a moment to be grateful for the darkness that shrouded her embarrassment.

"I have been having nightmares as well…" Link admitted, holding her at arms length to make eye contact with her. "All of them are memories, terrible and twisted…and all too real," he explained. "I always come up to your room with the intent of checking on you, but I can never bring myself to wake you up."

Zelda shook her head and let out a sarcastic cackle before countering. "Why not sleepyhead? I ALWAYS wake you up."

"I know," Link released his hold on her and smiled sheepishly before looking down at his twiddling thumbs. "Are you ok?" He asked a wave of seriousness washing over his usual joyful and carefree demeanor.

"I will be…now that I know you're ok…" she whispered more to herself than to her companion.

He looked at her with longing fueling the glow behind his eyes and let out an exasperated yet relieved sigh. The moonlight fell through her window, alighting her splayed golden hair, trickling gently around her slender shoulders as she moved. She smiled at him with a look of determined reassurance gracing her delicate features. He wrapped his arms around her once again, pulling her to him so that he could feel her heart beat steadily against his. Resting his hands on her waist, he pressed his forehead against hers. Her lips parted slightly, only inches away.

Forcing himself away from her, he inhaled deeply through his nose before speaking. "If you need anything Zel, I'm only a call away." She nodded her head tersely in response, looking disappointed as he quickly stood up and walked toward her bedroom door.

He looked at her from over his shoulder and breathed a quiet "Good night Zellie…" before turning the doorknob.

"Link…" her heart leapt into her throat as she whispered his name. In two bounds she was out of her bed and across the room, and before she could even think she spun him around to face her and urgently pressed her lips to his.

After a brief moment she released him and his eyes fluttered open. She brought her hands to rest on his chest as his eyes widened in surprise, his brain apparently only beginning to process what had just happened. Zelda didn't leave him much time to recover before her feelings for him burst forth in an uncontrollable confession.

"I love you, Link." She breathed, "I think I always have in a way since we were children, and I am sorry that I am telling you now after all we have been through, but I do, I love you. I…I just…I see you walk away from me to die a gruesome death every single night in my dreams and I always call after you, begging you to come back to me. I can't pretend that I don't feel this way anymore, and I'm so terrified that this may destroy our friendship… but I have tried to come to terms with my feelings for you for a very long time and I was so close to confessing at the wing ceremony…I was so afraid that something terrible was going to happen to you and I would never see you again and I promised myself that once I woke up from my slumber in the crystal that I would tell you…but none of that matters anymore! What does matter is that I want you…no…need you to be with me every single day of my life. I cannot and will not live without you, I refuse to be separated from you again…I love you, Link…Please don't leave…"

She looked up and pleaded with him with her eyes, determined that he understand the depth of her feelings for him. Holding her gaze, Link gingerly brought his hands up to her face and cradled her cheeks before stooping down and kissing her gently. He pulled away to run a hand through her golden locks and press his forehead softly to hers. She looked down and let out a heavy sigh of relief, before bringing her eyes up to meet his once more, her lips still parted slightly. Link smiled down at her, his eyes shining with all of the requited love and devotion that she could possibly imagine, and it was infectious, bringing a small smirk to her lips.

"Sooo…does this mean you feel the same way?" She teased, biting her bottom lip, pretending she was nervously awaiting his answer.

Link chuckled and brought her into a tight embrace before swooping her up into his arms and carrying her over to her bed, shutting the door with a swift kick in the process.

"My Zelda…ever the wise one…" Link whispered as he peeled the sheets back and laid her down before climbing into her bed and pulling her close. "Of course I love you." He rested his chin upon her head and traced circles on her back, while she reveled in his warmth. " I love you so much that I don't even know what to do with myself half the time because I can never stop thinking about you. Its very distracting…"

"…oooh, well I can think of quite a few ways to occupy you…" Zelda chuckled darkly, a suggestive tone lacing her voice. She looked up at him and wiggled her eyebrows, before bursting into a giggling fit at her own brazenness.

Link chuckled with her and then silenced her by capturing her lips in another quick kiss. "Oh Zel…how I have missed you." He pronounced wistfully.

"Oh shut up and occupy me!" She demanded sarcastically as he laughed, pulling his lips to hers once more.

"Your wish is my demand, oh goddess divine…"


End file.
